Conveyor Belt Safety

Conveyor Belt Safety

Conveyor belts can cause serious injuries such as entanglement, crushing, amputation, and falls if proper safety precautions are not followed. Workers must stay away from moving parts and follow isolation procedures before any maintenance or cleaning work.

1. Main Hazards

• Entanglement in belt, pulley, roller, or rotating parts

• Crushing between belt and pulley/roller

• Nip/pinch points

• Falling from conveyor structures

• Unexpected conveyor start-up

• Material falling from the belt

• Slips, trips and falls due to poor housekeeping

• Electrical shock during maintenance

2. Important Safety Rules

DO

• Follow the approved work permit before maintenance.

• Apply LOTOTO (Lock Out, Tag Out, Try Out) before entering the danger zone.

• Use the Emergency Stop/Pull Cord in an emergency.

• Ensure pull cords, E-stops, belt-sway switches and zero-speed switches are functional.

• Wear required PPE: helmet, safety shoes, eye protection, gloves, etc.

• Maintain good housekeeping around the conveyor.

• Use designated walkways and crossings.

• Report damaged guards, unsafe conditions and defective safety devices immediately.

DON'T

• Never touch or approach a moving belt or rotating parts.

• Never cross over or under a conveyor except at designated safe crossing points.

• Never remove guards while the conveyor is running.

• Never clean, adjust, or repair a moving conveyor.

• Never wear loose clothing, jewellery or other items that can get caught.

• Never bypass or disable safety interlocks.

• Never ride on a conveyor belt.

• Never restart equipment without confirming that all persons are clear.

3. Before Maintenance

STOP → ISOLATE → LOCK → TAG → TRY → VERIFY → WORK

1. Stop the conveyor.

2. Isolate all energy sources.

3. Apply personal locks and tags.

4. Release/secure stored energy.

5. Try the start control to confirm the conveyor cannot start.

6. Verify zero energy/positive isolation.

7. Start the maintenance work only after authorization.

4. Conveyor Safety Devices

Safety Device

Purpose

Pull Cord Switch

Stops the conveyor during an emergency

Emergency Stop

Provides emergency stopping

Belt Sway Switch

Detects abnormal belt movement

Zero Speed Switch (ZSS)

Detects belt movement/speed failure

Guards

Prevent access to moving/rotating parts

Interlocks

Prevent unsafe operation/start-up